Automatic grain-scale



.(No Model. 2Sheets-Sheet 1.

' 0-. B. FORWARD.

AUTOMATIC GRAIN SCALE.-

No; 377,606. Patented Feb. 7, 1888.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OHAUNOEY B. FORWARD, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE JOHN T. NOYE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF BUFFALO, NEWV YORK.

AUTIOMATIC GRAIN-SCALE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 377,606, dated February '7, 1888.

Application filed January 12, 1887. Serial No. 224,105. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that LOHAUNCEY B. FORWARD, of the city of Cleveland, in the county of Guyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Grain- Scales, of which the-following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of grainmeters or automatic scales which contain two buckets secured on diametrically opposite sides to a shaft mounted in a movable frame which is connected with a scale'beam, so that when the predetermined quantity of grain has been fed into the upper bucket the overhanging weight thereof causes the buckets to turn, whereby the filled bucket is inverted and emptied and the empty bucket is elevated and placed in position to receive the next charge of grain.

Theobject of my invention is to produce a simple and durable grain-meter of this kind which will weigh accurately; and my invention consists of the improvements, which will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, consisting of two sheets, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a grain-meter provided with my improvements. Fig. 2 is anend elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the upper part of the machine, partly in section. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on line mm, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a vertical section of one end of the bucket-shaft and connecting parts on an enlarged scale. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on line 3 y, Fig. 5. Fig.

' 7 is a sectional elevation of the stops on the .frame and bucket.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the cam by which the feed-gate is opened and connecting parts.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

A represents the stationary frame of the machine, and A A the buckets secured to diametrically opposite sides of a horizontal shaft, a. The buckets A A are arranged out of center with reference'to the shaft (1, so as to turn in the direction .of the arrow in Fig. 1, when released.

B represents the grain-spout connected with a bin or other receptacle, and provided with a horizontal slide or feed gate, 1), by which the spout can be opened or closed.

0 represents the vertical mouth or discharge opening at the lower end of the spout B, and C the automatic feed-gate, which controls the flow of grain into the buckets. The gate 0 moves" freely in vertical ways 0', secured to the spout B, and is preferably provided with antifriction rollers c, to prevent it from binding in its ways.

d represents a fixed stop secured to the upper portion of the frame A in a depending position, and d d represent stops secured to the sides of the buckets in such manner that one of the stops d d will rest against the stop d, as represented in Fig. 7, while the bucket to which the stop is attached is being filled. The fixed stop (1 is provided at its lower end with an anti-friction roller, (1 which facilitates the movement of the bucket-stop past the end of the fixed stop during the rotary movement of the buckets.

E represents an upright U shaped or bifurcated frame, in which the bucket-shaft a is sup ported by journals a, entering suitable bearings formed in the arms of the frame. The upper ends of the frame E are provided on their outer sides with guide-blocks e, which move in vertical ways 6, formed in the stationary frame A, and which are provided on their sides and face with anti-friction rollers e 0 F represents the scale-beam provided with lateral extensions or arms, f f, which carry at their outer ends heads f f. The latter are provided at their rear ends with knife-edges f f, by which the beam is supported on bearingsf The latter are secured to a cross piece, f arranged in the lower portion ofthe main frame A.

f f represent knife-edges secured to the front ends ofthe heads ff and supporting the movable bucket-frame Eby means of concavefaced shoes or bearing-piecesf f", which are secured to the lower cross-bar of the bucketfrarne. By thus providing the bucket-frame and scale-beam each with two supports located as far apart as possible twisting or binding of the bucket-frame and scale-beam is prevented, and a free and sensitive motion of these parts is secured.

G represents a weight attached to the end of the scale-beam for counterbalancing the buckets, bucket-frame, and other parts which rest on the short arm of the scale-beam.

g represents an adjustable counterpoise attached to an extension, 9, of the short arm of the scale-beam for perfectly balancing these parts.

H represents the adjustable primary weight attached to the scale-beam for counterbalancing the bulk of the charge of grain which is to be delivered into a bucket at a time.

I represents a supplementary weight arranged above the weight H and supported by an annular frame, 1', which is attached to a pendent arm, i. The latter is supported in a tripod frame, J, having its outer leg resting on a crosspiece, j, of the main frame A and its two inner legs on the cross-piecef. The arm 1" is attached to the frame J by a bolt, j, which passes through a slot, j in said frame, whereby the arm 2 can be adjusted to correspond with the position of the weight H. The upper end of the latter is somewhat smaller than the opening in the annular framei, so that the weight H will move upwardly through said frame as the scale-beam rises and lift the supplementary weight from its support, thereby increasing the weight on the scale-beam during the last portion of the operation of weighing a charge.

K represents the lever which controls the movements of the automatic feed-gate O, and is pivoted near its middle to one side of the upper portion of the mainframe A. The upper arm of the lever is connected with the feed-gate by a cord or chain, k, which runs over guide-pulleys 7c". The lower arm of the lever terminates near the shaft a, within reach of a two-armed cam, L, mounted on said shaft. The lever K is provided on its inner side with an offset or shoulder-,Jf, against the under side of which the cam L engages when the bucket to be filled has reached its highest position, thereby preventing the bucket from moving backward by reason of an abnormal distribution of the load in the bucket or otherwise. M represents a detent-pawl pivoted to the main frame, near the rear end thereof, and arranged with its free end underneath the lower arm of the lever K. The detent M is provided on its upper side with two offsets or shoulders, at m, at different heights, against which the lever K engages successively.

m" represents a weight attached to the short rear arm of the detent M and tending to hold the free end of the detent against the lower arm of the lever K.

-n represents a stop secured to the main frame A, for limiting the closing movement of the lever K.

0 represents a rod attached to the lever K and connected with a registering mechanism, P, of anysuitable or well'known construction, whereby the number of movements of the lever are registered.

Q represents retardingweights mounted loosely upon rods g, which are secured to the sides of the buckets, preferably diagonally in a line running from the upper rear corner of the upper bucket to the lower rear corner of the lower bucket. The rods q are secured to the buckets by means of laterally-projecting arms g, which hold the rods at the proper distance from the sides of the buckets to permit the weights to move freely on the rods. The rods q pass through loops 1", formed in the shaft a and made sufficiently large to permit the weights Q to pass through these loops. Each weight Q is preferably provided with a pin or projection, s, which enters a spiral groove, 8, in the rod, whereby the speed of the weight in moving along the rod is reduced.

trepresents elastic cushions, of rubber or other suitable matcrial,attached to the ends of the rods q, for receiving the impact of the weights. \Vhen the buckets are turned, the weights Q retard the ascending movement of the empty bucket, and these weights are made so heavy that just sufficient movement is produced by the descending filled bucketto elevate the empty bucket and lock it in its highest position without a shock or jar, which might tend to disarrange the apparatus. \Vhen the buckets have been locked in position, the weights Q descend on the rods (1 to their lowest position, as represented in Fig. 1, and are ready for the next turn of the buckets. Two retarding-weights and rods are shown in the drawings applied to opposite sides of the bucket; but a single weight and rod may be employed, if preferred.

In the position of the parts represented in the drawings the automatic feed-gate O is fully raised and the grain is delivered from the spout B into the upper bucket, A. The stop (1 of the bucket A rests against the stationary stop at of the frame and holds the buckets in position. The cam L rests against the shoulder of the lever K, and the latter rests against the lower shoulder,m,0f the detent M,whereby the gate 0 is held in its highest position. The scale-beam F is in its lowest position and holds the bucketframe E in its highest position.

When a sufficient quantity of grain has been delivered into the upper bucket to overbalance the weight H, the frame E descends with the buckets and depresses the free end of the detent M by the shaft on, which extends over the same, as represented in Fig. 8. This down ward movement of the detent M disengages the lower end of the lever K from the lower shoulder, at, of the detent. The feedgate 0 now descends by gravity until the lever K strikes against the upper shoulder, m,whereby the feedgate is held in a slightly-open posi' tion, so as to discharge only a fine stream of grain into the bucket. The ascending movement of the scale-beam causes the weight H to lift the supplementary weight I, whereby the scale-beam is loaded to hold the bucket-frame in position until the small quantity of grain isdellvered into the bucket, which will'overbalance the combined weights H and I. \Vhen this takes place, the bucket-frame E descends so far as to release the bucketstop d from the sta tionary stop d. This causes the buckets to turn so as to invert the filled bucket and elevate the empty bucket. The final descending move ment of the bucket-frame depresses the detent M so far as to release the lever K from the upper stop, m, whereby the feed-gate G is permitted to drop and close the spout B completely. The turning movement of the shafta causes the cam L to strike against the lower arm of thelever K in the direction in which the lever pulls on the cord and raises the gate 0, .thereby opening the latter when the empty bucket arrives in position under the spout B. When the empty bucket has arrived in this position, the stop of the bucket strikes against the stationary stop d, as the frame E has been elevated upon emptying the bucket. This prevents the further forward movement of the buckets until the load has been received. The buckets are prevented from rebounding upon striking the stop at by the cam L engaging under the shoulder of the lever K.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, with the revolving buckets, ofa feedspout having a vertical dis charge opening,a feed-gate moving in vertical ways, and actuating mechanism connected with the feedgate and operated by the buckets in two successive movements, whereby the feedgate is first partially lowered and then completely lowered to shut the spout, substantiallyas set forth.

2. The combination, with the revolving buckets, of a feed-spout, a feed-gate moving in vertical ways, a lever, K, connected with the feed-gate, and a detent, M, provided with shoulders at m, whereby the lever Kis caused to make two successive movements in closing the feed-gate, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with the revolving buckets, of a feed-spout, a feed-gate moving in vertical ways, a lever, K, connected with the feed-gate, a detent, M, provided with shoulders at m, and a cam, L, connected with the buckets, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with the revolving buckets, of a rod secured to the buckets diametrically across their axis of rotation, stops formed at the ends of said rod near the outer edges of the buckets, and a movable retardingweight mounted on said rod, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with the revolving buckets, of a rod secured to the buckets diametrically across their axis of rotation, elastic cushions mounted on both ends of said rod,

and a movable retarding-weight mounted on said rod, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination, with the revolving buckets, of a rod secured to said buckets and provided with a spiral groove, and a movable retarding-weight mounted on said rod and provided with a projection entering said groove, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination, with the buckets A A", secured to a shaft, a, having aloop, r, of arod, q, secured to the buckets and extending through said loop, and a movable retarding-weight, Q, mounted on said rod and adapted to move through said loop, substantially as set forth.

\Vitness my hand this 27th day of Decenr' ber, 1886.

CHA-UNOEY B. FOR\VARD.

\Vitnesses:

J. T. LOGAN, C. C. GREEN. 

